Clooney, Democrats pile pressure on Biden

U.S. President Joe Biden shakes hands with actor, director and producer George Clooney during the Kennedy Center honorees reception at the White House in Washington, Dec. 4, 2022.

A Democratic senator on Wednesday called on U.S. President Joe Biden to ditch his reelection bid, capping a brutal day that saw mounting pressure from high-profile actor and donor George Clooney and party heavyweight Nancy Pelosi.

The eyes of the world will be on the 81-year-old at a NATO summit as he tries to calm growing calls from his Democratic party to step aside over his age and health.

The White House has dubbed it a "big boy" press conference, and Biden will be under severe pressure to show he can handle what has become a rare unscripted moment in his presidency.

Any missteps by Biden at the 5.30 pm (2130 GMT) event at a Washington DC conference center could turn the trickle of Democrats who have so far urged him to abandon his 2024 election bid into a flood.

As Biden tried to show his leadership credentials at the NATO summit, domestic calls have been growing for Biden to quit following his disastrous debate performance against Republican challenger Donald Trump.

At least eight House Democrats have openly called on Biden to not seek reelection, but Peter Welch became the first in the Senate to explicitly do so as concerns rise over his age and fitness.

"For the good of the country, I'm calling on President Biden to withdraw from the race," the Vermont senator said in an opinion piece in the Washington Post.

News outlet Axios reported Wednesday that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had also privately signaled to donors that he was open to replacing Biden on the Democratic ticket.

However, in a statement shared by...